Meet Cathy McMorris Rodgers, in GOP Spotlight

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.) is slated to deliver the GOP response to the State of the Union address this year.

Associated Press

In the Republican response to President Barack Obama‘s State of the Union address, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.) will argue that the government should empower individual citizens over itself, emphasizing that trust in individuals is key to helping people find jobs and building a strong middle class, an aide said.

Her address will follow a speech in which Mr. Obama is expected to declare once more his intention to use unilateral presidential authority on a host of issues, sidestepping Congress when necessary.

Though less prominent than the speakers usually chosen for the address, Ms. Rodgers is the highest-ranking woman in a mostly male GOP congressional hierarchy. She is currently in her fifth term and chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, the fourth-ranking member of the party’s elected leadership in the House.

But who is Ms. Rodgers? A video on her website, “Meet Cathy,” seeks to answer that question. The video shows the congresswoman playing with her children, as she says in a voice-over: “It’s the highlight of the day, and it reinforces that I want to be doing everything I can to ensure that they have every opportunity to reach their full potential.”

Ms. Rodgers, who hails from Kettle Falls, Wash., gave birth to her third child in November, making her the first woman in history to have delivered three children while in Congress.

In the video, she discusses the diagnosis of her first child, Cole, with Down Syndrome. “It’s not what you ever think is going to happen to you or your family,” she says. “I’m a better legislator, I’m a better person because of Cole’s impact on my life. He gives me a whole new passion.”

The video also portrays Ms. Rodgers’s humble beginnings as the child of owners of a fruit stand. She became the first person in her family to attend college before meeting her husband—“my Mr. Wonderful,” she says in the video.

“I am honored to speak with Americans in every corner of the country on Tuesday and to share our Republican vision for a better future – one that trusts the American people and doesn’t limit where you finish because of where you started,” Ms. Rodgers said in a statement last week.

Ms. Rodgers was first elected to the House in 2004. She has introduced legislation on health information technology, pediatric research expansion, and physician training in rural areas.

After serving four years as vice-chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, Ms. Rodgers was elected as chairman in November 2012.

She has also served as co-chairwoman of the bipartisan Congressional Women’s Caucus, and is currently the co-chairwoman of five congressional caucuses: Down Syndrome, Military Family, Lumber, Neuroscience, and the Rural Health Coalition.

“Cathy McMorris Rodgers is proof that with humility, hard work and dedication, you can overcome any obstacle—a story to which many Americans can relate,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement last week. “Through the lens of her family’s experiences, Cathy will share our vision for a better America built on a thriving middle class, guided by a fierce belief in life and liberty, and grounded in greater trust between citizens and their government.”

The role of delivering the GOP response to the State of the Union is a high-profile one that often goes to more prominent politicians with presidential ambitions, such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) in 2013. But the platform does not always work to the speaker’s advantage—Mr. Rubio’s appearance is better remembered for his awkward reach for a water bottle than anything else.

The last time a female Republican lawmaker delivered the party’s response was in 2000, when Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) spoke with then-Sen. Bill Frist (R., Tenn.) after President Bill Clinton’s address.

Replay: In an interview last February with WSJ’s Jerry Seib, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.) says the president’s domestic and foreign agenda is doomed to fail because he didn’t address “out of control” spending.

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